Writing Ideas

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Hey all,

I do NOT mean this rudely or anything, so please no one take it this way.

I am a recent returning author. I took a nice 6 month break once I got pregnant, but now feel comfortable taking back on writing in balance with my other responsibilities. So, in getting back accustomed with what's going on, I've been searching the articles for certain key words I see in the news. I've noticed there are quite a few holes in the article directory that I know I'm thrilled to fill. So I thought we could all throw up where we see some holes, even if we aren't able/willing to write for them. After all, the more articles here the more buyers we entice :) C-C is one of the few writing communities I've ever been in where it's more about lifting each other up because most of us realize we all win.

So I noticed tonight there are holes for:
Balance transfers
Only 1 article on FDIC, and nothing about the possibility of them losing solvency
Creative, unique, beneficial ways to celebrate Earth Day
The Underinsured for Health Insurance
How to continue your health insurance if you're laid off

Now some of these it may be more of an issue that the keywords on existing articles do not match up well with what I searched, but would fit the bill. But if I was a buyer and I search "wind energy" an article on renewable energy is the third in the list after an art piece and something on caulk. So I guess this challenge is two fold:
Let's double check our existing articles to see if every angle is really covered by the keywords
Let's try to patch up these holes. :)

Anyone see any other holes?

[audrabianca]

We really need more on renewable energy.

We also need newer articles on education, child development, parenting, taking care of the elderly, and (as you said), the health insurance crisis, including prescription drugs.

For some of the topics under business (one of my favorites), there are only a few choices of articles for each subtopic. What I recommend is writing for a subcategory of business that has only a few articles. For example, co-operatives has no articles, and freelance consulting only has 6 articles available. If you don't focus your discussion on recession economics or news events, your business articles have a long shelf-life. Trust me I know. They will eventually sell.

We have a lot of articles on careers. This will continue to be a hot topic throughout the recession. If you read through the selection, you will realize there are a lot of unique angles to take that have yet to be taken.

[eek]

[quote="Elizabeth Ann West"]... So I thought we could all throw up where we see some holes... [/quote]

Oh Elizabeth Ann, I just had to giggle over that one. Coming on the heels of talking about your pregnancy and all, it just struck me funny. And I say that in the most benevolent way, even though you don't know me. I sincerely hope you and baby are healthy and happy. Pregnancy is a magical journey.

I agree that wind energy is perhaps a more lucrative topic right now, but I must defend the caulk article (mine), which is still and will continue to be one of the best and economical ways to achieve energy efficiency for the average homeowner. I didn't think it was placed under the renewable energy section, though. That's a different topic. Quality home improvement articles with an environmental slant always sell well.

Thanks for the ideas, ladies. Personally I would like to read more about health insurance for the self-employed, and maybe what the President has in mind for the future of health insurance.

Emma

[eek]

Oops...
You were right, E - I searched wind energy and a caulk article was the second in line. But not mine. (blushing)

[Elizabeth Ann West]

I wasn't criticizing the caulk or art piece. I am sure they are very wonderful articles for their subject matter. Just as a buyer looking for an article on "wind energy" I don't think those two articles are what a buyer would originally have in mind.. :) I was just pointing out we are missing good quality articles on wind turbines such as:
How does the technology work?
What kind of skills are needed to get a job working on a wind farm?
How would a business person invest in wind technology?
etc. etc.

I've been watching A TON of this green cable channel we get now, and I wrote in my writing ideas an asterisk about Ewaste, the problem of all the many electronics in our lives becoming more quickly obsolete and these devices in landfills have the potential to leak heavy metals.

I know there is also a building in Bahrain where engineers placed wind turbines in between the two buildings to act as a sail and provide some of the technology for the office building, an interesting angle about green energy technologies and architecture...

[Amy W]

I agree completely, Elizabeth. I actually wrote an article describing how a wind turbine works, just because I was interested in it. I thought it would have a hard time selling. A few days later, sold. I think anything about green energy is a hot topic.

There is another building somewhere in the Middle East - Dubai, I think - where each floor of the building acts as its own wind turbine. Each floor turns independently of the others, and as the wind turns it, electricity is generated. Engineering genius.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

I think we're talking about the same building... it's the Bahrain World Trade Center. It's very cool.

[Amy W]

Nope, the one I'm thinking of is in Dubai - it's an apartment building - called The Dynamic Tower. Instead of having wind turbines, like the Bahrain World Trade Center, the building itself is the wind turbine. Each level turns independently of the others, with a wind turbine hidden beneath each floor. And on the roof of each level sits solar panels. If the apartments didn't cost millions of dollars, I'd snap one up in a second. I just think it's so cool to have a spinning apartment. The link's at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7472722.stm.

[Celeste Stewart]

I saw that spinning apartment tower on TV a while back. It is indeed cool and innovative.

I live in an area where you can count on the winds to come up every day at about 11:00 AM. They blow steady and strong until sunset. But zoning laws make harnessing the wind a bit problematic. One resident finally won approval to put up a large wind turbine on her rural property and many other residents are hoping to follow her lead. Maybe an article on how zoning restrictions are hindering/helping renewable energy innovations?

[BarryDavidson]

If you're researching renewable energy sources, I'd recommend looking into switch grass, hydrogen boosters (not fuel cells), and hemp oil. (Especially the hydrogen)

The first internal combustion engine was built by François Isaac de Rivaz in 1806, and used a hydrogen/oxygen mix.

Switch grass, much like industrial hemp, requires very little to grow in abundance. It has a long root system for soil aeration, doesn't deplete the soil like corn and other ethanol crops, and can feed livestock if not used for ethanol production. If I'm remembering correctly, you can get over four times the ethanol yield per acre of switch grass than you do from corn, and you don't have to rotate crops. The only problem they're running into is the enzymes used to break down the fibers. (My idea is to use the enzymes in spit which will break down the sugars and increase fermentation.)

Hemp oil is the easiest choice if people still want "oil". With a few tweaks (inexpensive), a regular oil refinery can refine hemp oil into a high grade gasoline.

Celeste... I encourage the writing of articles about zoning and rezoning laws. I was recently part of a team of people who helped stop several zoning laws which would have put hundreds of farmers out of business.

Something else overlooked are the hydrogen hybrid generators. There are now large, quiet hydrogen/natural gas hybrid generators which will run up to 150% of a home's energy needs. Well, maybe not Al Gore's house, but most. With a few alterations, these could be rigged to run completely on hydrogen (Brown's Gas to be completely correct).